Your Memory Haunts Me
by SwirlyTwirly
Summary: After what seemed like a lifetime, Klaus finally spoke. "I've been thinking about her." Elijah looked dumbfounded. "About who, Brother?" All of the things Klaus could have said, Elijah never expected him say something to so cryptic and vague."About Tatia." Klaus gets cursed, and finds that he cannot stop thinking about Tatia Petrova. Neither can Elijah. Full Summary inside.


**Summary: ** Klaus gets cursed, and finds that he cannot stop thinking about Tatia Petrova. Neither can Elijah. The two eventually come together to help Klaus, and slowly relive their memories of the Original Petrova.

**AN: This is my first new story in a while, and my first TVD story (about the show at least.) The show briefly mentioned the ElijahxTatiaxKlaus love triangle, and I really wanted to explore that. Sorry that the summary wasn't all that great. Please R&R, so I know what I need to work on and such. **

**Enjoy the first chapter!**

**~SwirlyTwirly**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and never will.**

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Elijah knew someone was in his penthouse before he walked inside. He could hear the clamor of noise as he or she shuffled about, doing who knows what. Whoever the intruder was, he certainly was not discrete. His mind set to work, trying to figure out who could have possibly broken into his home. Seldom few people knew where he lived.

_It's probably a __thief_, He concluded, fuming with anger and annoyance. Then he smiled darkly to himself. This thief picked the wrong place to rob tonight. . .

Using his amplified speed the Original burst through the penthouse doors, prepared to attack. He bolted towards the source of where the noise was coming from, the dining room. What he saw made Elijah stop dead in his tracks.

"Wine, Brother?"

He sat at the head of the table, casually titling the Chippendale styled chair backwards. A half filled glass of wine hung loosely in his hands. On the table rested a newly opened bottle of wine that Elijah had acquired in Italian nearly a hundred years ago, and an empty, untouched glass next to it. Klaus gestured to the empty glass and reiterated his question. "Wine, Brother?"

"What are you doing here, Niklaus?" He asked impatiently, dismissing Klaus's question all together. Wearily, he watched Klaus with tense muscles. He was ready to flee if need be. He was not shocked that Klaus managed to find him, but found his concerned about his brother's intentions. Elijah's protective walls were on high alert, just in case his brother was up to something.

"Can't two brothers enjoy a glass of wine together?" Klaus joked lightly, putting his own glass back onto the table. He reached for the bottle and refilled his glass.

"What are you doing here?" Elijah brazenly repeated. Dealing with Klaus was at the bottom of his to-do list for the evening. Yet here Klaus was, making his life more difficult with each passing minute. Over the last thousand years, Elijah learned that Klaus and trouble coexisted. Where one was, the other followed in suit shortly after. Elijah didn't have the time for any of that.

"You are irksome, you know that?" Klaus's light humor dissipated. His face darkened, sending a wave of nervousness through Elijah's body. The air in the room took on a somber mood as Elijah waited for his brother to say something. _Anything_.

Time dragged on tediously, each minute ticking away slower than the last. After what seemed like a lifetime, Klaus finally spoke. "I've been thinking about her."

"About who, Brother?" All of the things Klaus could have said, Elijah never expected him say something to so cryptic and vague.

"About Tatia," Klaus breathed. "I've been thinking about Tatia, Elijah."

Elijah did a double take, and stared at his younger brother pensively. That was the last thing he expected Klaus to say. He expected Klaus to say Caroline, or Mother even. But certainly not Tatia.

_Tatia_. Hearing her name hurt, like a dull pain in his aching heart. Even though she had been gone for nine hundred years, the pain he felt from her loss never truly left him. It always lingered in the back of his mind. _She _always lingered in the back of his mind. His memory of her had become his conscience of some sorts. Her memory kept his morality alive and his values in check.

Still, thinking about Tatia hurt. It hurt when he and Klaus told Stefan and Damon about her. And it hurt at that moment. Elijah forced himself to push past the throb, and deal with the situation at hand.

"After a nearly thousand years, you think of her now?" Elijah asked. His voice was cold, almost venomous. He wanted Klaus to feel as unwelcome was possible.

"Caroline reminds me over her. Of her strength, and confidence. And of course, her beauty," Klaus mused, smiling miserably. Never before the the millennium that Elijah knew him, had he seen his brother look so defeated. "Especially her beauty. For some reason, my mind keeps lingering back to her recently. It's as if she's haunting me from the grave."

Elijah did not buy that reason for one second. Klaus had known Caroline for months. Why was she suddenly reminding him of Tatia? Out of the blue? If Caroline truly did remind him of Tatia, then the two would have had this conversation a long time ago.

"That's your guilt talking," Elijah said. He was tempted to call Klaus's bluff, but that would prolong their conversation and Klaus's visit.

"Perhaps it is," Klaus said, staring off into space. His mind was a million miles away as the memories of another life overcame him.

That response caught Elijah off guard. Klaus was supposed to defend his honor, and put the blame of Tatia's death on someone else, like Mikael. He used to always say that it was Mikael who made their mother bind his werewolf curse. It was Mikael who caused Tatia's death. Klaus never took responsibility for his actions. It simply was not in his nature. Elijah decided to ignore his peculiar behavior.

"That still doesn't explain why you're here," Elijah said, swiftly changing the subject.

"Because only you can possibly understand how I feel right now. I just. . .You loved her too." Elijah never saw Klaus like this, so open and confused. "You understand my _pain_. My _loneliness. _You lost her too."

Something was terribly wrong with his brother. Elijah could no longer ignore his strange behavior. Klaus's hidden fears and insecurities usually kept him closed off. Yet here he was, talking about his feelings, and about Tatia. Two things that Klaus rarely spoke of. Elijah began feeling a spark of concern for his brother.

"Niklaus, there's more to the story isn't there? Something else. You aren't acting like yourself." Elijah stepped towards Klaus. He didn't want to ask, but felt compelled to. Klaus was his younger brother after all, despite all the animosity he felt towards him.

Klaus looked down, mumbling something about a witch. "The Bennett witch put a spell on me," he sighed. "With her new found dark magic." Klaus was bitter, yet not enraged. That frightened Elijah even more. Normally, Klaus would have ruined Bonnie's life until she cured him. Where was _that _Niklaus?

"What kind of spell?" Elijah inquired.

"One that forces my past memories to resurface," he explained. "But only memories that I harbor guilt for. Or memories that cause me pain. I can't control myself. I find myself thinking of things, of people, in the past. And these memories hurt,Elijah. Ever since the spell, I've mainly thought about her. I can't get her out of my mind."

Something about Niklaus's words angered Elijah. Slyly, a truculent rage manifested in Elijah's core, destroying his calm demeanor. Rarely did he let his levelheaded temper slip. Sometimes Klaus just bought out the worst of him.

"So, you only think of her because of a spell? You only think of the pain and loss because of a _spell_?" Elijah roared sharply.

"I feel it more because of the spell," Klaus argued, though his voice was quiet and soft. He did not scream, or get angry like he normally did.

"I doubt you felt anything before the spell," Elijah countered. "You let your own goals and fears consume you. Not once did you think about her, Klaus. Not once in a thousand years, while I think of her every day!"

"That is not true and you know it!"

"You thought of everything else. Running from Mikael. Daggering your siblings. Finding the doppelganger. Breaking the curse. Making hybrids. Fawning over Caroline. Not once did you mourn her. Don't you dare say that I know you're pain, because that would mean that you know mine. And you don't, Nik. You have never felt anything close to the pain I felt when we lost Tatia."

"Brother-"

Elijah cut Klaus off before he could get a word in edgewise.

"I don't care that you're thinking about Tatia. I don't care that Bonnie cursed you. All I care about is getting you to leave, _now_."

"Fine, Brother," Klaus snapped, standing up. His eyes were cold, and, dare Elijah say it, hurt. He stormed towards the door, his own rage radiating off his. Clearly, Bonnie's spell could not completely destroy his brother's temper. Klaus grabbed the door knob, but hesitated.

"Just because I never mentioned her, doesn't mean I never grieved her," Klaus stated before yanking the door open. He marched out of the room, slammed the door shut, and left Elijah alone to his thoughts.

And all of his thoughts were about Tatia Petrova.

* * *

_998 A.D_

_She's beautiful._

That's all Elijah could think of as he watched her pick up a fallen branch. That morning the woman of the village decided to go into the forest to gather firewood. The men of the village were weary of letting them go off on their own, so his father, Mikael, nominated Elijah to go with them and supervise. It was merely a precaution just in case an animal attacked, or even someone from a neighboring village. His younger brother Niklaus offered to accompany him, but Father would not allow it.

Elijah did not mind. He liked aiding the village whenever needed, and he preferred to be left alone to his thoughts. Supervising this excursion would not be difficult. Elijah could think and watch out for danger simultaneously.

She went to pick up another stick. Stray locks of her curly brown locks fell over her face, partially blocking his view. Maybe today would be the day that Elijah gathered up the courage to talk to her, instead of admiring from afar. It was a good thing his brother did not tag along. Nik would never allow him a moment alone with Tatia Petrova.

"You are staring," Rebekah announced, smirking as she picked up a piece of firewood.

Elijah jumped at the sound of her voice. His sister's words startled him out of his musings. He did not even hear her approach. "What, Sister?"

"You were staring at Tatia. Again." Rebekah spoke slowly, as if he could not comprehend her words. "I do not see why everyone is infatuated with her!" she grumbled enviously. She longed for the attention that Tatia Petrova so effortlessly received.

"She is beautiful," Elijah blurted out earnestly, but kept his voice quiet enough so that only his sister heard him.

"She gave birth out of wedlock. Beauty cannot amend that. She is a walking scandal," Rebekah snapped, with narrowed eyes and a deadly voice. "And she is still treated like any other honorable woman. It is not right."

Elijah was not in the mood to argue. "Your eyes are green, Sister. Perhaps you should try to emulate her instead of envy her," he advised.

"Are you saying that I should have a child out of wedlock?" His sister taunted mischievously.

Elijah cracked a grin. "Father would kill you."

"I think he would get over it," Rebekah dismissed. "I must get back to work. Have fun fawning of a scandal." She turned to leave, but paused. Her face softened slightly before she spoke. "If you really do think she is beautiful, perhaps it would be wise to try and talk to her.

She left before Elijah could ask her what she should say. Millions of questions were flying around his mind, crashing into each other and giving him a headache. How should he approach her? Should he act like himself? Or would an independent woman like Tatia prefer someone who acted more like Niklaus or Kol?

Elijah had successfully courted a few women before, but they all fell flat after a short while. The love would simmer down, like a dying flame until there was nothing left but ashes and embers. None of those women made him dizzy or weak at the knees. Then came Tatia, a woman he knew but only by reputation. He yearned to approach her, yet found himself lost.

_Where do I begin__? _He wondered.

He stood there, leaning against the Oak tree, pensively thinking. His golden opportunity fell upon his lap about half an hour later. Tatia was picking up another branch, but her grip slipped. All of the branches she had spent the last hour gathering tumbled out of her arms and scattered back onto the forest floor.

Elijah instantly leaped to action. Without thinking, he gracefully strode towards her as she hurriedly dropped down to her knees to gather them all again.

"Allow me," Elijah said kindly. He knelt beside her and started helping her collect the branches. _Be a gentlemen_, he warned himself. He put on a calm front, but on the inside he was nervous.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly at him. He half expected her to blush from her embarrassment, but she did not. Tatia Petrova kindly received the attention of far too many men in the past. She well versed in that field, and knew that it was best not to blush. Woman who blushed immediately made it all too easy for the men. She knew that men preferred even the slightest chase; a woman who was difficult to win over. She did not give them the simple satisfaction because then they would grow tired of her. "You are Mikael's eldest son. Elijah, correct?"

The two had met briefly a few times, but it was only in passing or at village festivities. They never had an actual conversation though. Elijah knew very well who she was, just as she knew who he was. Still, he nodded. "Elijah Mikaelson."

She smiled again. Elijah's heart began pounding frantically. "I am Tatia."

Her voice made his mind whirl and spin and left him dazed. He tried to think of something charming to say, but his brain would simply not function. After a few moments his clouded mind cleared. He regain his wits and put on a charismatic smile and politely said, "Pleased to meet you, Tatia."

He handed her the collection of branches, gently placing them in his arms. "There you go."

"Thank you," she said again as the two stood up. "It was nice talking to you. I hope I will see you around in the village." She was walking away before Elijah could respond.

Elijah smiled proudly. Conversation one proved to be a success.

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**AN: I hoped everyone liked the chapter. I will have the next one up as soon as possible.**

**This story will shift between the point-of-view of Elijah, Klaus, and Tatia. Maybe some other characters here and there, but mainly those three. Next Chapter will definitely be about Klaus. Tatia's point-of-view will either be included in that chapter, or in chapter three. And if you have not noticed, the time periods will switch back and forth from 998 to present day. I just picked a random year because the show never specified an exact year when the originals came to the New World. **

**Until next time. . .**

**~SwirlyTwirly**


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